How to Understand
by Whisker Sage
Summary: He loves her and she loves him, just not in the way you would think. When Chat Noir tries to tell Ladybug how he feels, he finds out that she's fallen for someone else, someone who doesn't love her back.


**Miraculous Ladybug ; How to Understand**

"I fell in love with you because you loved me when I couldn't love myself."

* * *

and high up above or down below

when you're too in love to let it go

but if you never try, you'll never know

just what you're worth

* * *

"Why can't you just love camembert like every other person?"

Adrien turned around in his swivel chair distractedly, pushing away from his desk so he could slide to the window. The city of Paris was illuminated by numerous streetlights and the glowing figure of the Eiffel Tower, the darkness of the night nearly vanquished by the brightness. Nobody walked the streets, and the air was deathly quiet besides him and Plagg. Glancing at the black kwami floating next to him, he rolled his eyes to see that his companion was eating another slice of cheese, happily throwing the food into the air and swallowing it whole.

"Believe me when I say that nobody loves camembert except you," he joked, his green gaze sweeping around his room, "Besides, you couldn't possibly know how I feel."

The tiny feline laughed. "I do know that how you feel about Ladybug is ridiculous! You don't even know who she is!"

With a groan of frustration, he buried his head in his hands, his fingers running through and messing up his blonde hair. Feeling Plagg rest on his shoulder momentarily, he looked up to see a streak of red flash past his window. Excitement igniting in him, he glimpsed outside to see a familiar vigilante swinging around buildings with a scarlet yo-yo. Immediately grabbing his kwami, he rushed out of his bedroom and towards the stairs. The sable cat hissed in protest, but his snarling changed to purring when he was given a fresh piece of camembert. As he sprinted down the steps and through the main doors, he was rather relieved when neither his father nor his assistant, Nathalie, were around to stop him.

"It's useless!" Plagg commented, "Just date that girl, Chloe! At least she likes you and you know who she is!"

"I wouldn't date her if my life depended on it!" Adrien deadpanned. "Come on, I have to transform!"

* * *

Chat Noir leapt from roof to roof, his tail flicking as he tried to spot where Ladybug had gone - the bell on his collar jingled as he bounded past different buildings and he anxiously glanced around numerous times. Eventually, after minutes of searching, his gaze finally caught sight of her, and he was surprised to see that she was heading towards the Eiffel Tower. With a small breath, he dashed after her, although Plagg's voice continued to echo in the back of his thoughts. Perhaps his friend was correct, and all his efforts were in vain. After all, she made it painfully clear that she did not return his feelings. At this idea, he stopped for a moment to perch on top of a street lamp, before shaking his head in disbelief and continuing on.

When he reached the alit Eiffel Tower, he sat at the edge of the structure's peak, the wind blowing past him and causing him to shiver slightly. The moon's full figure hung in the middle of the sky, in between splotches of twinkling constellations. With a nervous inhale, he rolled the pale red rose he had plucked on his route against his palms, the thorns barely penetrating his gloves as he shuffled it in his hands. Looking beneath him, he began to wonder where Ladybug was, for she should have reached the structure before him. Maybe he had been wrong and she actually wasn't heading for the monument. Lowering his head in the embarrassment of chasing her, he watched as a tiny petal from the flower was torn off from the breeze.

"What are you doing here?"

Adrien glanced up in surprise when he saw a familiar face peering down at him blankly, his jaw falling in surprise. Quickly scrambling to his feet, he held out the rose to Ladybug, a smile plastered across his lips as he began to speak, "Well, my lady, you don't exactly blend in with the night like me and it was rather easy to spot you." At her unamused appearance, he added sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck, "And I-um, wanted to see you."

He expected one of her sarcastic replies, but was rather surprised when she merely looked away. Her sky blue gaze suddenly seemed very stormy, and he felt his heart stop when he saw that tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. Placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, he inquired, "What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"

"No, it's just that . . ." she paused, ". . . I've had a rough day. You wouldn't understand."

With a frown, he tilted his head slightly. "I don't need to."

There was a period of silence between them before Ladybug finally admitted, "This boy at my school . . . he doesn't love me back. I'm just another fan to him, and he doesn't realize how much he means to me." Blinking in shock as she buried her face in her palms, he watched as her voice cracked in discontent. "I embarrassed myself in front of him again. I just always mess things up when I'm around him. I'm a wreck and I don't know why I ever thought he could love-"

"Hey, hey," Adrien whispered, flicking a tear away with a claw, "If he can't realize that, he's not worth it." After heartbeats of uncertainty, he added, "I get it."

"No you don't!" she snapped abruptly, recoiling away from him, "He doesn't even care about me! How could you possibly know-"

Her hands slapped over her mouth in disbelief. "Oh my god, Chat. I'm so sorry."

A lump in his throat kept him from speaking, and he stared at the scene below him, unsure how to react or what to say. There was silence between them again, and he tried to keep his focus on the lights around him, but the brightness only began to blur his sight and cause tears to well up in his eyes. With a soft exhale, he winced when he felt her rest her head on his shoulder, her ebony-colored hair bristling in the chilly wind. There wasn't anything to be said between them, and he knew that. He knew she was sorry and that she didn't need to hear anything to know his feelings. As they stared at Paris together, on top of the most romantic place in the city, he allowed himself to say what he had always wanted to.

"I love you, Ladybug."

* * *

 **Author's Note :** Gah, I know this isn't Warriors fanfiction, but I've seriously fallen in love with this show and I had to write a fanfiction on it. I hope you guys enjoyed it because it was a really fun project for me to work on! Please leave a review if you can, because it honestly makes my day just reading your comments on my work. :) Thanks for reading!


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